Maryland vs Michigan Big Ten Tournament Picks: Wolverines Won't Be Turtling

The Michigan Wolverines have already played Maryland twice this season, blasting them by 24 points at home and winning by 11 on the road.

Mar 11, 2021 • 16:16 ET
Isaiah Rivers Michigan Wolverines NCAAB Big Ten Tournament
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament will take to the floor on Friday as the Michigan Wolverines face the No. 8 seed Maryland Terrapins.

The Wolverines have been one of the top teams in the country and will look to make quick work of the Terrapins at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Here are our best free Maryland vs. Michigan picks and predictions for college basketball betting action on Friday, March 12, with tipoff at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Maryland vs Michigan odds

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Sharp money and line movement report

By Patrick Everson

Michigan opened as an 8-point favorite Thursday evening at FanDuel, reached -8.5 overnight and -9 in the past hour, and the line is -8.5 as of 10:30 a.m. ET. The Wolverines are taking 73 percent of bets and 81 percent of money on the spread. The total moved from 133 to 132, then to 132.5, with 82 percent of bets/85 percent of cash on the Over.

Check out the full line movement for this game

Maryland Terrapins vs Michigan Wolverines betting preview

Injuries

Maryland: None.
Michigan: None.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Wolverines are 20-6-1 ATS in their last 27 games following a straight-up loss. Find more NCAA betting trends for Maryland vs. Michigan.

Against the spread (ATS) pick

Maryland is coming off a 68-57 win over Michigan State on Thursday. The Terrapins really needed that win after back-to-back losses against Northwestern and Penn State had them on the bubble.

The Terps finished the regular season with a 9-11 record in conference play and although they've been very tough on the defensive end of the floor, they've struggled to score, ranking dead-last in the Big Ten with 68.9 points per game.

The Wolverines finished their regular season losing two of their last three games but they have still been one of the most dominant teams in the country—Michigan went 19-3 SU and 16-6 ATS with an average scoring margin of plus-11.3 ppg.

Juwan Howard's squad gets it done on both ends of the floor with the Wolverines sixth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, while ranking fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency.

They also easily dismantled the Terrapins in both meetings earlier this season, destroying them by 24 points in Ann Arbor and 11 points on the road in Maryland. Back Michigan to win and cover.

PREDICTION: Michigan -8.5 (-110)

Over/Under Pick

Both of these schools are terrific on the defensive end of the floor, as the Terrapins limit foes to a field goal percentage of 40.4 while the Wolverines hold opponents to just 39 percent shooting from the field. They also both play at a very slow pace. 

That said, there is reason to think that this total of 132.5 is a tad too low. After all, both Maryland and Michigan are 4-0 O/U in their previous four games against teams with a winning record.

The Wolverines are also very efficient on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 76.5 ppg and ranking 14th in the country with a field goal percentage of 48.8.

With these Big Ten foes also cashing the Over in four straight meetings in the head-to-head,back it again on Friday. 

PREDICTION: Over 133.5 (-110)

Maryland vs Michigan betting card

  • Michigan -8.5 (-110)
  • Over 133.5 (-110)
NCAA parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NCAA Maryland vs. Michigan picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?

Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on college basketball?

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